Interconnection apparatus for wiring harnesses

Abstract

 An apparatus for interconnecting functional component circuits and branch circuits of a wiring harness. A wiring board (2) includes a plurality oftab contact members (5) and mounted on one surface of the wiring board is a first printed-circuit board (6A) including a plurality of control element components (8A) forming the functional component circuits. Also mounted on the other surface of the wiring board is a second printed-circuit board (6B) which includes the electronic element components (8B) forming the functional component circuits.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to improvements in and relating to an interconnection apparatus for wiring harnesses in which a busbar is arranged to form a large number of branch conductive paths and the electric cables of a wiring harness are connected to the branch conductive paths thereby providing a large number of branch circuits.

[0002] With a conventional wiring harness used for wiring the body of an automobile, it is necessary to provide a large number of branch circuits in the midst of the wiring harness and an interconnection apparatus for wiring harnesses (hereinafter simply referred to as an interconnection apparatus) is known in which a plurality of branch conductive paths corresponding to the previously mentioned wiring harness branch circuits are integrally formed on an electric wiring board by the arrangement of a busbar and the cables of a wiring harness are connected to the branch conductive paths thereby concentrically providing the desired branch circuits.

[0003] On the other hand, in order to ensure the functioning of the branch circuits, the wiring harness is required to arrange the required elements for the branch circuits, e.g., groups of functional components such as relays, diodes, capacitors and timers and incorporate these circuits in the branch circuits.

[0004] Thus, arrangements are in use in which these functional components are concentrated and accommodated in a casing for each branch circuit and the casings are mounted on an interconnection apparatus thereby incorporating them in the midst of the branch conductive paths or alternatively in the case of a time control unit a power window timer and a power window control, for example, the required functional component groups are separately grouped and mounted scatteringly on the vehicle body thereby connecting them to the interconnection apparatus through the wiring harness.

[0005] With the recent sophiscation of automobiles, however, the number of branch circuits of a wiring harness is increased and also there is a remarkable tendency toward incorporating a very great number of functional components in each branch circuit thus giving rise to a need for making smaller and more compact the whole construction of a wiring harness system including an interconnection apparatus.

[0006] Also, in accordance with the above-mentioned functional component incorporating means, working elements such as relays which are operable mechanically and electronic elements which include no mechanically operable parts are included in the same group and this gives rises to a maintenance problem in that the electronic elements having much longer lives than the working elements have to be replaced simultaneously with the working elements having shorter lives.

[0007] According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for interconnecting branch circuit means of a wiring harness and functional component circuit means comprising:

a wiring board including a busbar forming branch conductive path means; and

printed-circuit board means mounted on said wiring board. and including a plurality of functional components forming said functional component circuit means,

said busbar of said wiring board including tab contact means at end portions thereof, and

said printed-circuit board means including a plurality of flat sheet terminals connected to said tab contact means and a plurality of tab terminals connected, along with said tab contact means, to said branch circuit means.

[0008] In an embodiment the functional component groups to be incorporated in the branch circuits of a wiring harness are classified in a stratified manner into two groups of working element group and electronic element group which are respectively arranged densely on two different printed-circuit boards, and the printed-circuit board of the working element group and the printed-circuit board of the electronic element group are respectively mounted on the upper and lower surfaces of an interconnection apparatus in such a manner that the conductive paths of the two printed-circuit boards are connected to the branch conductive paths of the interconnection apparatus thereby incorporating the functional component circuits in the branch circuits of the wiring harness.

[0009] An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of an example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the top side of an interconnection apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the back side of the embodiment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front view showing the connection between a conductive path of a printed-circuit board and a busbar in the embodiment of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a front view showing a connecting mechanism in the embodiment of Figure 2.

[0010] The present invention will now be described in a greater detail with reference to the illustrated embodiment.

[0011] Referring t6 Figures 1 to 4 showing the embodiment, an interconnection apparatus 1 of this invention includes a plate wiring board 2 of insulating material and an upper case 3 which are combined as a unit and a known busbar is arranged on the wiring board 2 to concentrically form the required branch circuits for a wiring harness and the ends of the busbar are provided with tab contact members 5 (partly shown) vertically arranged on the wiring board 2 to project through the upper case 3 or project downwardly of the wiring board 2 for connection with the conductive paths of printed-circuit boards which will be described later or a connector 17 at the end of a bunch of cables 18 of the wiring harness. Also, formed on the upper surface of the upper case 3 is a reception chamber 7A for receiving a printed-circuit board 6A and the reception chamber 7A has a bottom which is square in shape enclosed by a frame member 11 for receiving the printed-circuit board 6A from above with terminal receiving pockets 13 defined by partition walls 12 being arranged parallel on the front bottom portion. On the other hand, of the functional components of the wiring harness only a group of working elements 8A such as relays forming working means are densely arranged concentrically and in a stratified manner on the upper surface of the surface of the printed-circuit board 6A. Also, conductive paths 9 for the working elements 8A are formed by printed wiring on the back surface of the printed-circuit board 6A as shown at A in Fig. 1 and terminals 10 are grippingly attached side by side to the edge portion of one side edge of the printed-circuit board 6A so as to be electrically connected to the conductive paths 9. Then, the terminals 10 and the busbar end are interconnected in the. following manner. More specifically, referring to Fig. 3, one of the tab contact members 5 at the end portion of the busbar 4 is projected through each tab inserting hole 24 of the upper case 3 and an intermediate terminal 25 is fitted on the tab contact member 5. Then, it is designed so that when the printed-circuit board 6A is inserted from above into the reception chamber 7A as shown in Fig. 1 and then slightly slid forwardly, the terminals 10 arranged side by side at the side edge of the printed-circuit board 6A are each engaged with a slot contact portion 26 of the intermediate terminal 25 in oneJofthe pockets 13 as shown in Fig. 3 so that the conductive paths 9 of the printed-circuit board 6A are connected to the busbar 4 and the functional component circuit of the operating element group 8A are incorporated in the branch circuits of the busbar 4. It is to be noted that the insertion of the printed-circuit board 6A is allowed by the engagement of a pair of notches 15 formed at its opposed side edges with a pair of engaging projections 14 on the side edges of the reception chamber 7A and then the printed-circuit board 6A is held in place by the pair of engaging projections 14 thereby detachably holding it in place.

[0012] Also, fuse mounts 20 for the respective branch circuits are provided on the upper surface of the upper case 3 and a two-leg fuse 21 is fitted in each of the fuse mounts 20. In addition, there are provided connector mounts 19 each including the vertically arranged tab contact members 5 and connectors 17 at the end of bunches of cables 18 are received in the connector mounts 19 thereby connecting the branch circuits provided by the busbar 4 to the wiring harness. In Figure 1, numeral 16A designates a cover for the reception chamber 7A which, after the insertion of the printed-circuit board 6A, is placed over the working element group 8A to cover and protect them. In the Figure, numeral 22 designates a housing containing an externally fitted-relay which must be replaced periodically and numeral 23 designates mounts for the former.

[0013] Referring now to Figure 2, a recpetion chamber 7B enclosed by a wall member 11 is formed on the back surface of the wiring board 2 and it is constructed such that of the required functional components of the wiring harness only a group of control elements 8B such as a controller, timer etc., forming a control unit are densely and concentrically arranged on a printed-circuit board 6B by for example the technique of automatic electronic component packaging system and this printed-circuit board 6B is received so as to connect the conductive paths of the printed-circuit board 6B to the tab contact members 5 at the ends of the busbar 4 and incorporate the conductive paths of the control element group 8B in the branch circuits of the busbar 4. As a result, the reception chamber 7B and the printed-circuit board 6B are respectively the same in construction as the reception chamber 7A and the printed-circuit board 6A, that is, the reception chamber 7B is provided at its one side edge with a plurality of receiving pockets 13 defined side by side by partition walls 12 to receive intermediate terminals 25 and the printed-circuit board 6B is provided with the similar conductive paths as the printed-circuit board 6A on its back surface and terminals 10 arranged side by side at its one side edge with the conductive paths being connected to the busbar 4 by the same connection arrangement as shown in Fig. 3.

[0014] Referring further to Figs. 2 and 4, the printed-circuit board 6b is provided at another side edges with vertically mounted tab terminals 27 for connection with the conductive paths 9 on the back surface, and the tab contact members 5 at the end of the busbar 4 are vertically arranged at the portions of the wiring board 2 which are adjacent to the side edges of the reception chamber 7B. Also, connecting mechanisms are provided so that when the printed-circuit board 6B is inserted in the reception chamber 7B,_.the tab contact members 5 and the tab terminals 27 are gathered together into groups and a connector 17 at the end of a bunch of cables 18 is mounted as the common connector. More specifically, the printed-circuit board 6B is provided at the side edges with the tab terminals 27 vertically arranged side by side and each including a small leg piece 27' extending through the back surface and the small leg pieces 27' are soldered to the conductive paths 9. Also, a cover 16B for covering the printed-circuit board 6B is formed with recesses 28 at its side edges and holes ²⁴ for receiving the tab terminals 27 are formed through the bottom of the recesses 28. Thus, when the printed-circuit board 6B is inserted into the reception chamber 7B and then the cover 16B is placed over the former, the tab terminals_' 27 project through the holes 29 and gather together with the tab contact members 5 projecting from the wiring board 2 into groups and the connector 17 at the end of the bunch of wiring harness cables 18 is inserted as the common connector thereby directly connecting the functional component circuits of the printed-circuit board 6B to the wiring harness through the connector 17 and not through the busbar 4 of the wiring board 2.

[0015] As described hereinabove, the functional component circuits of the group of electronic elements 8B by the printed-circuit board 6B are connected to the circuits of the group of working elements 8A by the printed-circuit board 6A through the busbar 4 or they are connected to the connector 17. Thus, the functional component circuits of the printed-circuit boards 6A and 6B are incorporated in the branch circuits of the wiring harness.

[0016] In accordance with the above-described interconnection apparatus of the present invention, functional component groups to be incorporated in the branch circuits of a wiring harness are concentrically arranged on the printed-circuit boards of the interconnection apparatus in such a manner that the functional component groups are divided in a stratified manner into two classes, i.e., a control element group and a working element group which are gathered on the separate printed-circuit boards 6A and 6B, respectively and they are then mounted in a three-dimentional manner on the upper and lower - surfaces of a wiring board 2 formed with branch conductive paths by the arrangement of a busbar. As a result, the wiring harness system is made more compact and smaller as compared with the conventional construction in which functional component groups are formed into separate groups for the respective unit electric equipment, mounted in various places of the vehicle body and connected to a wiring harness.

[0017] Then, the integration of the functional component groups on the plurality of printed-circuit boards by their stratified arrangement has the effect of increasing the freedom of arrangement and construction of the interconnection apparatus on the whole and making possible the selection of a compact shape.

[0018] Further, by virtue of the fact that the working element groups of high frequencies of replacement are arranged, along with the other replacement components such as fuses, on the upper surface of the interconnection apparatus and the control element groups having very long replacement periods are accommodated on the lower surface .of the interconnection apparatus, there is the effect of considerably facilitating the maintenance of these element groups and preventing loss of the useful control element due to their being replaced and discarded by following the replacement of the working element.

[0019] Further, since the above-mentioned connection mechanisms utilizing the connector 17 as the common connector allows the direct connection of a part of the functional component circuits of the printed-circuit board 6B to the wiring harness without by way of the busbar 4, the arrangement of the busbar 4 on the wiring board 2 is simplified and also the single connector allows both the connection of the branch circuits of the busbar 4 , and the connection and incorporation of the functional component circuits thereby decreasing the number of the connectors in the interconnection apparatus and making the interconnection apparatus more compact and smaller in size. Still further, since the connecting operation is effected collectively as compared with the conventional means of connecting the terminals of the printed-circuit board 6B to the tab contact members 5 at the ends of the busbar 4, there is the advantage of simplifying the connecting operation and reducing the danger of occurrence of malfunctions such as contact failure.

[0020] It is to be noted that the above-mentioned connecting mechanisms are applicable not only to the stratified arrangement of the functional components in the above-described embodiment but also to an interconnection apparatus employing printed-circuit boards each incorporating both control and functional element groups and it is possible to enjoy the previously mentioned effects.

[0021] From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides an interconnection apparatus which meets the need for a more compact wiring harness as required by the sophiscation of automobiles.

Claims

1. An apparatus for interconnecting branch circuit means of a wiring harness and functional component circuit means comprising:

a wiring board (2) including a busbar forming branch conductive path means; and

printed-circuit board means (6A, 6B) mounted on said wiring board and including a plurality of functional components forming said functional component circuit means,

said busbar (4) of said wiring board including tab contact means at end portions thereof, and

said printed-circuit board means (6A, 6B) including a plurality of flat sheet terminals connected to said tab contact means and a plurality of tab terminals connected, along with said tab contact means, to said branch circuit means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, where said printed-circuit board means (6A, 6B) includes a first printed-circuit board including a plurality of control element components and mounted on one surface of said wiring board and a second printed-circuit board inlcuding a plurality of functional element components and mounted on the other surface of said wiring board.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising connecting means (17) whereby said tab contact means and said tab terminals are connected in common to said branch circuit means of said wiring harness.

4. In an interconnection apparatus including a wiring board (2) including branch conductive path means formed by arrangement of a busbar and printed-circuit board means (6A, 6B) having arranged thereon a plurality of functional components, the improvement wherein said printed-circuit board means (6A, 6B) comprises:

.a first printed-circuit board (6A) having arranged thereon functional elements of said functional components and mounted on one surface of said wiring board and

a second printed-circuit board (6B) having arranged thereon electronic elements of said functional components and mounted on the other surface of said wiring board,

whereby functional component circuit means formed on said first and second printed-circuit boards are connected to branch circuit means of a wiring harness.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said branch conductive path means (4) of said wiring board (2) includes a plurality of tab terminals connected to said branch circuit means of said wiring harness.

6. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of said first and second printed-circuit boards (6A, 6B) includes at least one or the other of a plurality of flat sheet terminals connected to said tab terminals of said branch conductive path means and a plurality of tab terminals connected to said functional component circuit means and directly connected to said branch circuit means.

Drawing